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Revitalizing a Transportation "Gateway"

Heather RedfernSEPTA Public Information Manager

SEPTA's 69th Street Transportation Center has been a transit gateway in Upper Darby, Pa., for more than 100 years. An improvements project now underway at the Transportation Center's West Terminal will bring the facility into the 21st century by integrating eco-friendly design elements in the reconstruction.

"SEPTA has made a commitment to sustainability by incorporating 'green' features into our construction projects," said Authority General Manager Joseph Casey. "The work we are doing at 69th Street will bring our passengers an enhanced and aesthetically pleasing West Terminal that will benefit our environment, too."

The modernized West Terminal will include green roofs and a green wall to reduce storm water drainage, energy efficient LED lighting and architectural elements in the passenger waiting area that will allow for increased natural light and reduced energy use.

"This is going to be a model for how we will be able to make old buildings sustainable," said Congressman Patrick Meehan, who attended the Terminal's groundbreaking on April 13.

Other elected officials who joined Meehan at the groundbreaking also expressed their excitement for the improvements project - not only because it means a makeover for the 105-year old Terminal, but also because of the finished project's potential to attract more visitors to the area surrounding 69th Street Transportation Center.

"Upper Darby is on the way back," said State Senator Tom McGarrigle, who represents the Commonwealth's 26th district. "It's going to be a good shot to our economy," added Upper Darby Township Mayor Thomas Micozzi.

Currently, almost 35,000 SEPTA customers use 69th Street Transportation Center every day to travel to their jobs and school or to shopping and tourist destinations in Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery and Chester counties. "A modern, safe and easily accessible facility can draw even more passengers to the Upper Darby area," said Casey. "And more passengers means more people patronizing the local shops, which in turn can revitalize the community."

The $19.6 million 69th Street Transportation Center West Terminal Improvements Project is part of SEPTA's "Rebuilding for the Future" capital program. The work is funded through the Federal Transit Administration Bus and Bus Facility Livability Grant Program and Pennsylvania Act 89.

"Without federal and state support, we would not have been able to complete this necessary work. I applaud our elected officials for recognizing the need for investing in our transportation infrastructure and awarding SEPTA the funding needed for this vital reconstruction project," said Casey.

The West Terminal will be closed beginning June 15. During construction, shuttle buses will be used for Trolley Routes 101 and 102 and the boarding locations for those buses, as well as Routes 104, 107, 109, 110, 111, 112, 120, 123 and 126 will be relocated to a temporary loop. Buses and trolleys will return to the West Terminal on September 7. The construction project will be complete in November.